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Which Is The Best AMERICAN Made Semi-Auto 9mm Pistol?

98K views 51 replies 35 participants last post by  tonyjh 
#1 ·
Feel free to be bias if youd like, though some 'reason' would be nice to read. And clearly 'best' is very subjective....maybe it should be said that it is designed very well, or very accurate, or most reliable in a home defense situation....those may be better criteria to define 'best' American 9mm.

It doesnt need to be originally designed in the US....just as long as a gun is currently made in the states.


Looking forward to what gets posted below!!


(i wanted to edit my original post, so this doesnt get out of hand....please limit pistols to ones you can find for under $1,000 -- thanks!)
 
#4 ·
VAMarine!! such an honor to get a reply from you. So, you rank the M&P over the Sig P226, the CZ 75B SP-01, FNH FNX-9 and the Springfield XDm?

Thanks again for making a post here!!
Well Sig has been kind of hit and miss lately. and the FNX...while FN makes a nice product, I think the M&P is a better option with some more versatility such as accessories, holsters, mags etc.

The others are not American made.

CZ- Cech.

XD/XDM - Croatia.
 
#5 ·
Also, FWIW, I do really like Sigs, but I think they've kind of lost focus with all the available "glamour" packages.

As for the 226 vs M&P....

The 226 will have a higher bore axis, the slide stop in such a place that if you shoot with a high, thumbs forward griup you're going to ride the slide stop and prevent it from locking open on empty. Unless you go with the DAK, you have two trigger pulls to master and not enough people shoot the DA trigger pull enough to really get good with it and thus their first DA shot is often somewhere other than where it's intended. It's heavier and more costly than the M&P. The M&P has the changeable bask-straps and while newer Sigs have the replaceable grip module, I like the feel/texture of the M&P a little better.

If a DA/SA gun was a requirement, the Sig would be a good choice, but if not a requirement I tend to stick with striker fired or SAO guns.
 
#7 ·
S&W M&P, although who knows where they might be sourcing parts these days.

For Cz, parts are made in Czekoslovakia and assembled and finished here in the USA. Some parts are made in USA for guns sold here. European Cz owners complain they can't get the same guns over there that are available here...nor the variety of guns.

Nowadays most companies take advantage of cost savings of having parts made overseas and then assembled here.

I think a more relevant question might be which handgun companies are primarily American OWNED, because that is where the profits go and the tax revenues accrue. Maybe a different way to look at it.

CC
 
#8 ·
S&W M&P, although who knows where they might be sourcing parts these days.

For Cz, parts are made in Czekoslovakia and assembled and finished here in the USA. Some parts are made in USA for guns sold here. European Cz owners complain they can't get the same guns over there that are available here...nor the variety of guns.

Nowadays most companies take advantage of cost savings of having parts made overseas and then assembled here.

I think a more relevant question might be which handgun companies are primarily American OWNED, because that is where the profits go and the tax revenues accrue. Maybe a different way to look at it.

CC
Other than the custom shop guns, I have never seen a claim that the CZ guns are "made in the USA" every "standard" CZ I've sever seen has said "Made in Czech Republic".

Pending on what percentage of the guns are assembled in the US, they can label as "Made in USA", but again, I can't say that I've seen a CZ that has been labeled as made in USA. Sure they have a smith in AZ that puts them (the customs) together, but when the day is done it's still a Czech gun/company.
 
#9 ·
Other than the custom shop guns, I have never seen a claim that the CZ guns are "made in the USA" every "standard" CZ I've sever seen has said "Made in Czech Republic".
I didn't mean to suggest they should be labelled or should be claimed to be "Made in the USA." I was just trying to state the facts about how they are assembled and some parts are made here.

I was trying to make another point, really, that nowadays, just about every product has some percentage of parts or assembly that was done outside the USA. And, I was suggesting that perhaps another way to measure "American Made" is by the ownership....not the only way.

Here is an interesting link:
Guns Made in the USA
A number of companies claim to be in the "American Made" category, including Kahr, Colt, etc. But truth is many guns and gun parts are made overseas and it is often hard to identify them. Smith&Wesson is no different....they don't disclose the percentage of parts made outside the US.

Here are some examples:
FN Herstal is Belguim owned company and a supplier to the US Military. They manufacture some firearms in S. Carolina, but their pistols are marked Fredericksburg, VA, leading you to believe they are Made in America. Depending on the gun, many parts are made overseas and imported to the US for final assembly, so the gun is not truly 100% Made in America. Some guns are made to spec for the military and those are all made here. So, do we make a decision to buy FN Herstal based on the "Made in America" impression or on all the factors associated with the company? I personally think that if a gun company assembles the guns here and employs more than a handful of Americans for "manufacturing", that is enough for me to call them "American made."

Here is an opposing example: Bersa does not manufacture or assemble any guns here in the US. They are imported fully-assembled and ready for distribution and sale. No one could claim they are American made in any way.

Glock has manufacturing in Austria and the USA, importing some parts, manufacturing others, and assembling many models here in the US. However, it is still Austrian-managed, but clearly has a close relationship with the US Military and Law Enforcement and manufactures here in the US. Do they deserve to be labelled, "Made in America?" Personally, I think they have enough of a presence and manufacturing to say they are.

Also, let's not forget that Smith&Wesson embraced many of the Clinton-era gun control initiatives which really upset the 2nd Amendment community. Does that count against them in the overall equation?

My main point here is that we should be looking at the whole picture when making purchasing decisions about anything, inlcluding firearms, and recognize there are unavoidable international enconomies at work here.

The US Gov't says that at least 50% of the parts in a product must be American made in order to be purchased by the US gov't. However, the FTC has the following statement: "According to the Federal Trade Commission, "Made in USA" means that "all or virtually all" the product was, indeed, made in America. The agency enforces the standard to ensure commercial compliance and confirm consumer confidence. For a "Made in USA" claim to be accurate, all significant parts, processing and labor that go into the product must be of U.S. origin. Products should not contain any - or only negligible - foreign content. "

So there is a pretty good chance that most of the parts in a S&W handgun are Made in the USA, but that doesn't mean that other companies, even if foreign headquartered, aren't just as patriotic a purchase decision as S&W.

CC
 
#10 ·
Without getting too deep into this argument...

The people responsible for the S&W's involvement with that fiasco were booted over a decade ago. Similar travesties were done by Ruger etc. That was then, this is now.

The Czech Republic WAS a Communist country, should we hold that against them?

As for the small parts issue. Without knowing for certain what (if any) parts are foreign made, it's kind of a moot point to even argue for it.

S&W = Made in USA
CZ = NOT made in USA (with few exceptions IE the custom guns are assembled and tuned and Dan Wesson firearm are made in NY but still ownded by CZ etc.)

Topic of thread:
Which Is The Best AMERICAN Made Semi-Auto 9mm Pistol?
See the point?
 
#12 ·
sig 226 or
Beretta 92FS

the M&P is a copy of Glock and S&W sold out to the liberals so i would never own a S&W
Say what?

well hell
they already make a j frame with 3" barrell
wish it was a 1 7/8" model
Any thoughts from members on this new 22LR?

Thinking about ordering one.
Why get a ruger 10/22 and spend more money to make it look like an AR when you can get it directly and from S&W
But you support Ruger?
Ruger LCP Range report
just got back from the range and put 13 clips or 78 rounds thru it
no failures to feed or eject- except the last round...
my hand got really REALLY sore and i limp wristed it
very satisfied
 
#14 ·
Perhaps a better question would be: What is the most patriotic American gun company that makes one of the best 9mm handguns?

In addition to S&W:
Kimber
Kahr
Colt
Keltec

I still think the S&W M&P is the best 9mm of the bunch and the company is sufficiently patriotic, and I don't think its a Glock copy....it may borrow some of the design, but it is clearly a different handgun. Second place would be Kahr....their 9mm's are incomparable for concealed carry. Then, Kimber, then Keltec for obvious reasons.

If in doubt, just buy one of each.
CC
 
#19 ·
I'm not to up on the manufacturing practices of the different companies. However, I worked as a go between for a company and the Dept. of Commerce and Dept. of State on importing, to include assigning Country of Origin. The law is pretty straight forward about it. All parts can be made offshore and assembled here in the US and still be labeled "made in America" if the guidelines are met. There is a 10 digit tariff number (USHTS) assigned to each part imported. If the final product has the required tariff shift, being the first 4 digits of the 10 digit number changed, the Country of Origin is the country the final assembly was made.
 
#20 ·
Beretta 92 - they make them in the USA... Either a USA made 92FS, an M9 or an M9A1 (the M9A1 and M9 are only made in the USA)

Italian company, but are USA made... Some models like the 92 compact and 92A1 are ONLY made in Italy. The 92FS is made both in the uSA and Italy
 
#21 ·
Sig Sauer P226 & P229
Ruger
Beretta
S&W
FNP (X)

All good guns IMHO :smt1099

All have very high quality IMHO

Can you get a bad one ... sure .. but not very often.

Unlike VAMarine - I tend to stick with hammer fired guns in DA/SA triggers.

But that's just me - striker fired & SAO guns have been proven to be great guns.

That's why they make Fords & Chevy's :smt082

:watching:
 
#22 ·
Beretta 92 - they make them in the USA... Either a USA made 92FS, an M9 or an M9A1 (the M9A1 and M9 are only made in the USA)

Italian company, but are USA made... Some models like the 92 compact and 92A1 are ONLY made in Italy. The 92FS is made both in the uSA and Italy
yup - that was my vote - a great great gun -
but too big for me
 
#25 ·
Sig P226, really no contest. USA made-German owned.

  • Beretta-Italians
  • Kahr-owned by Moonies
  • M&P USA-but owned by Saf T Hammer.
  • XD-though they are imports from Croatia
  • Ruger USA
  • Kel Tech USA
 
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